Our son’s former 5th-grade teacher gave David 2 bags of sweet corn. He has a family farm and they sell produce at the Farmer’s Market. The corn was left over from the night before.

David mentioned his field by the highway was empty. He explained that he let it lie fallow this year. It’s a Biblical principle.

Leviticus 25:4, “But the seventh year the land will take a Sabbath of complete and total rest, a Sabbath to God, you will not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. Don’t reap what grows of itself; don’t harvest the grapes of your untended vines.” The Message

Letting a field lie fallow allows the volunteer plants to enrich the soil. The yield on that field next year will be greater. If you don’t give the land rest, the yields grow smaller and smaller. The soil becomes depleted.

Jeremiah 8:7, “Cranes know when it’s time to move south for the winter. And robins, warblers, and bluebirds know when it’s time to come back again. …” The Message

What if the birds stayed in the south?

It’s always warm. They encounter cold and snow when they first arrive. It’s getting cold again when they return. They would eventually eat everything if they stayed in the south.

Jeremiah 9:10, “I’m lamenting the loss of the mountain pastures. I’m chanting dirges for the old grazing grounds. They’ve become deserted wastelands too dangerous for travelers. No sound of sheep bleating or cattle mooing. Birds and wild animals all gone. Nothing stirring, no sounds of life.” The Message

Living paycheck to paycheck is the same as a bird never flying north. Or planting the same field for decades without replacing the lost nutrients. First, you eat the produce, then the seeds, and finally the plant. You have nothing left – no source for food.

“Lord, show me what I need to leave alone this year.”

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